South African Online Poker RoomsThe only types of online gambling sites that can legally be licensed in South Africa are online betting sites.

However, that has not stopped many poker sites that are located in different countries around the world offering their real money poker games and poker tournaments to players based in South Africa.

The list on this page has been created by a team of poker experts that tested every aspect of the poker sites on offer and guarantee the maximum overall quality. Let’s take a more detailed look!

My team has a goal of helping you experience online poker at its best. That’s why the list you’ll find below this paragraph consists of the most reliable South Africa poker sites currently available on the market.

All these online poker hubs have gone through a thorough assessment meaning you can’t go wrong no matter which one you choose.

Feel free to take a look at more than one poker room and pick the one that accommodates all your needs.

Rank Rooms Expert Score Signup Bonus Licensed Features Play Now
Ignition Poker

106 user ratings
Read Review

100% up to $1000

(T&Cs apply, 18+)

kgc  
  • More poker tournaments now live
  • Omaha Hi Low variant available
  • Instant tournament registration process
Get Bonus!
2
BetOnline Poker

110 user ratings
Read Review

100% up to $1000

(T&Cs apply, 18+)

pan  
  • Can be a very fast paying poker site
  • Texas Hold'em poker tables always available
  • Choose from several different deposit options
Get Bonus!
Everygame Poker

114 user ratings
Read Review

200% up to $1000

(T&Cs apply, 18+)

curacao  
  • Strong 200% welcome bonus
  • 24/7 customer support options
  • Gambling licence from Curaçao
Get Bonus!
4
Juicy Stakes Poker

87 user ratings
Read Review

200% up to $1000

(T&Cs apply, 18+)

curacao  
  • Great welcome bonus and other promotions
  • Great poker software
  • USA and AUS players accepted
Get Bonus!
ACR Poker

106 user ratings
Read Review

100% up to $1000

(T&Cs apply, 18+)

mga  
  • Daily freeroll tournaments
  • Plenty of open tables day and night
  • Some of the largest poker bonus online
Get Bonus!
6
Bovada Poker

75 user ratings
Read Review

100% up to $500 Match

(T&Cs apply, 18+)

kgc  
  • Speedy withdrawals
  • Mobile poker app
  • US players are fully accepted
Get Bonus!

Show More

Popular Pages:

Gambling Laws in South AfricaSouth Africa frowns upon its citizens playing on online poker sites that operate within the country. However, it doesn’t clearly prevent its residents from playing on international poker sites.

In fact, South African online gambling laws seem to be targeting online gambling operators rather than players, and no South African poker players have yet been prosecuted for playing in legal international poker rooms. For this reason, many legal poker venues gladly accept players from South Africa.

How We Chose the Best South Africa Poker Sites

Ranking
It’s definitely not easy to find a trustworthy online poker platform that will match all your expectations. The process requires a lot of time and a careful examination of many candidates.

My team has worked day and night to find poker rooms that excel in every aspect starting with:

In case you need further convincing that our list is top of the line, keep scrolling, as the rest of the article provides more details regarding our selection process.

What We Pay Attention to When Reviewing South Africa Poker Sites

Things We Look For While Review a Site IconLegality and safety are the first in line when we begin our assessment. Once we confirm that a poker site is reliable and trustworthy, other aspects have to be evaluated as well.

First, we take a look at how generous the site is with regard to:

  • Bonuses
  • Promotions
  • Special tournaments

If the promotional offers are hefty and fair, we move on to the registration process and proceed with an examination of all the different poker variations the site has in its game portfolio.

Factors we note down also include the liquidity of the site, daily traffic, and any potential hidden risks players can get exposed to.

With this done, our casino experts go on a break and leave the room to the professionals who analyze the following:

  • Responsiveness of the site
  • Available payment methods
  • Mobile platform
  • Customer support

Only if a poker room ticks all the boxes, it earns the right to find itself on our list of the crème de la crème of online poker sites.

Blacklisted South Africa Poker Sites

Lock Poker

Lock Poker

  • Poorly regulated site
  • Payouts issues
  • Player mistreatment allegations

Absolute Poker

Absolute Poker

  • Prosecuted for fraud
  • Rigged games
  • Confiscated winnings accusations

Card Spike

Card Spike

  • Lack of customer support
  • Delayed payments
  • Offers no player protection

The South Africa Online Poker Industry

The latest reports state that the gambling industry in South Africa is about to reach $34.8 billion in 2020. Poker has certainly left a mark on the South African gambling scene and helped it attain prominence in the worldwide gambling community.

The country features its own poker tournament as part of the World Poker Tour that enables South African players to compete against other poker fans from all over the globe.

Since online poker sites are not allowed to operate within the country, offshore poker sites are reaping all the benefits. For this reason, South Africa doesn’t get a share of the money its residents use for online poker.

Hopefully, the country will broaden its views on online poker as it would increase its gambling revenue by a large amount.

Popular Online Poker Games in South Africa

Popular Online Poker Games in South AfricaNo Limit Hold’Em is the most popular game among South African poker players, while Pot Limit Omaha is the runner up. The sites on our list regularly organize tournaments and offer sizable bonuses and promotions for both of these poker types.

If you feel like there’s too much hype around these popular poker varieties, there are several interesting alternatives you can try such as:

  • Caribbean Stud Poker
  • Draw Poker

Mobile Poker in South Africa

Mobile Gambling
Online poker players nowadays prefer poker sites that they can visit from their smartphones and tablets and with the predicted 25.5 million smartphone users by 2022, this will continue. For this reason, when we put online poker rooms on our list, we make sure they all feature the latest mobile technology enabling online poker on the go, like HTML5.

Whether you prefer the Android or iOS operating system, you will be able to play online poker on every site we have recommended here.

On top of that, some of them even offer a designated gambling app to make their online poker platforms easier to use.

Popular Payment Methods for Online Poker Sites in South Africa

Payment Options
Popular e-wallets are some of the most favored deposit and withdrawal methods among South African online poker players. Skrill and Neteller are at the top of the leaderboard with Paysafecard trailing behind them.

Other options still widely used for online poker payments include credit and debit cards such as Visa and Mastercard.

Lastly, online poker players who own cryptocurrencies can use them online for playing online poker on some sites.

Bear in mind that all of the sites have their own rules regarding payment methods and that you should always check the Banking page of a poker room before making a deposit.

Responsible Gambling

Responsible Gambling
Although extremely fun, online gambling can cause numerous problems if you don’t know when to stop. There should always be a limit when it comes to the time and money you spend playing online poker.

In case you feel like the activity is taking its toll on you, don’t hesitate to turn to one of the following organizations for help:

  • Gamble Aware — Gamble Aware provides detailed information on problem gambling and offers 24/7 support via live chat or phone.
  • The South African Responsible Gambling Foundation — SARGF is an organization that has been working with gambling addicts for two decades now. Its methods proved to be very useful in helping problem gamblers regain control of their lives.

Final Thoughts

Since South Africa hasn’t yet given a green light to online poker sites within its borders, players have to look for international poker rooms on the web. Our team has made this process easier by gathering top-rated online poker sites that excel in every aspect required for the perfect gaming experience.

South African players can rest assured that all the sites from this list are both reliable and entertaining at the same time.

Feel free to try them out and stick with me for more recommendations in the future. Good luck!

Frequently Asked Questions

There are no doubt going to be many different questions that you may have in regards to starting to play poker games online, and with that in mind below we have put together several of the most commonly asked questions by players based in South Africa who are interested in giving poker playing in a real money online playing environment a try, you will of course find all of the answer to each question below also.

Are online poker tournaments available?

Can I play more than one poker game at a time?

How old do I have to be to play poker online?

Can I play free poker games online?

Will I earn comps playing poker online?

Am I taxed on poker winnings?

What poker games can I play online?

Are online poker games really fair?

What stakes do I have to play for?

What poker bonuses are available to me online?

Ryan Knuppel Author

Ryan (aka Knup) has been writing sports betting content for over a decade now. He covers anything and everything related to United Stats sports including football, basketball, baseball, golf and more. He has finished first place in several gambling related contests over the years which gives him instant credibility in the betting world. Ryan is a die-hard St. Louis...

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
3 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Ren
Ren
4 years ago

Hi, I am in South Africa and play on Silver Sands Poker site, However the gameplay has been very suspicious lately. Big stack winning for rebuy’s in tourney’s etc. I would like to look at other Poker site’s as I do not have much faith in SilverSands anymore. Do other site’s payout when you win?

SilverSands does pay out. The cards are very far fetched though.

irma
irma
4 years ago
Reply to  Ren

i hear that south african players will have problems getting any money ( online poker) from the bank itself, the south african banks after poker site released any payment. that’s why silver sands is still your best bet. you can try bitcoin poker sites… some are anonymous… even

Angela
Angela
3 years ago
Reply to  Ren

Did anyone ever get a reply on this please? I too have lost faith in Silversands as the short stack always loses. It is just too far fetched and obvious for my liking.